Highlights of the Spanish Coast & Barcelona

Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to the Paris area for an overnight stay.

To Calella, on the Costa del Maresme, for a six-night stay.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Tossa De Mar

After a leisurely breakfast join our wonderful included excursion along the Costa Brava.

Visit the typical Catalonian coastal town of Tossa de Mar where you have free time to explore the narrow cobbled streets and medieval walls.

We continue to Lloret de Mar, the busiest and liveliest resort on the Costa Brava. Once a sea trading and ship building town, Lloret is now one of the busiest resorts on the Costa Brava with a wide choice of restaurants catering for all tastes and plenty of shops, something to suit everyone.

Our final destination on this excursion is the resort of Blanes, once renowned for its lace manufacturing. Behind the sea front you will find a town steeped in history.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Barcelona

Today we travel to the fascinating city of Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city and one of the Mediterranean’s busiest ports.

The city has a delightfully relaxed atmosphere, particularly along Las Ramblas, where you can join the locals casually strolling along the tree-lined walkway, perhaps stopping to enjoy the entertainment offered by the many mime-artists and musicians.

Barcelona boasts many amazing buildings, in particular the extraordinary Sagrada Familia, a very unconventional church, whose construction is still being finished today.

An optional guided sightseeing tour will introduce you to the most important sights of the city.

Starting by coach, the tour takes you past many of the famous sights of the city to ensure that you see all of the important places of interest. You can admire the unusual scenery of the Eixample district as well as the huge Olympic stadium, scene of the great athletic achievements in 1992.

We finish the tour on foot at the bustling Las Ramblas, the iconic street in the centre, which runs from the Plaza de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus monument near the harbour at Port Vell. Here you can explore the cafés and see the mime artists, and from here you will be ideally situated to explore independently the Barri Gotic, or Gothic Quarter in the centre of the Old Town, where some of buildings date back to medieval and Roman times.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Girona

Today’s full-day included excursion takes you on an interesting tour into another part of Catalonia.

Our first stop is the charming town of Girona. Behind the colourful houses lining the River Onyar is the Old Town, with its imposing Gothic cathedral and maze of narrow streets. Have a stroll along the pedestrian Rambla de la Libertat lined with arcades, shops and pavement cafés.

We then make our way to the medieval town of Besalu. Step back in time as you explore this fascinating old centre, with its historic churches and buildings and interesting little shops.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today you have the opportunity to see some of the beautiful Spanish countryside on an optional Catalan country tour.

We head inland to the cool of the wooded hills. Accompanied by a local guide, you will discover the charms of the area. During our excursion a delicious typical Catalan lunch will be served before returning back to the coast. This is an unmissable, relaxing time, allowing you the opportunity to see more than just the sun, sand and sea of the Costas.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Montserrat

Join us today on our optional excursion to Montserrat known locally as the 'serrated mountain'.

We travel through the mountains to the north of Barcelona and the site of the famous Benedictine monastery. The Abbot of Ripoli and Bishop of Vic officially founded the Monastery of Montserrat in 1025. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a Romanesque church was built and it was over this period pilgrims were attracted to Montserrat. Since then, the reputation of Montserrat grew and in 1223 a boys’ choir was established. During the 1400s, the Monastery became an independent abbey and the word of Montserrat was further spread when monk Bernal Boil accompanied Christopher Columbus on a voyage to America. Montserrat in the Antilles was named after the Monastery and this began the spread of the worship of the Mother of God in the Americas.

Today Montserrat Monastery is home to around one hundred monks who follow the Order of St. Benedict. This can be distinguished from other orders by their philosophy “that there is an importance to everything that every person is”.

For many pilgrims it is an entirely spiritual experience, however, if you are not a religious person you will still find Montserrat Mountain and Monastery of great interest. The chapels, beautiful Basilica and often-turbulent history make it a fascinating place to visit. Surrounded by spectacular scenery, a camera is a must on this memorable day.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

To the Paris area or northern France for an overnight stay.

• Included meals: Breakfast

Return home.

• Included meals: Breakfast

Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to the Paris area for an overnight stay.

To Calella, on the Costa del Maresme, for a seven-night stay.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast join our wonderful included excursion along the Costa Brava.

Visit the typical Catalonian coastal town of Tossa de Mar where you have free time to explore the narrow cobbled streets and medieval walls.

We continue to Lloret de Mar, the busiest and liveliest resort on the Costa Brava. Once a sea trading and ship building town, Lloret is now one of the busiest resorts on the Costa Brava with a wide choice of restaurants catering for all tastes and plenty of shops, something to suit everyone.

Our final destination on this excursion is the resort of Blanes, once renowned for its lace manufacturing. Behind the sea front you will find a town steeped in history.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today we travel to the fascinating city of Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city and one of the Mediterranean’s busiest ports.

The city has a delightfully relaxed atmosphere, particularly along Las Ramblas, where you can join the locals casually strolling along the tree-lined walkway, perhaps stopping to enjoy the entertainment offered by the many mime-artists and musicians.

Barcelona boasts many amazing buildings, in particular the extraordinary Sagrada Familia, a very unconventional church, whose construction is still being finished today.

An optional guided sightseeing tour will introduce you to the most important sights of the city.

Starting by coach, the tour takes you past many of the famous sights of the city to ensure that you see all of the important places of interest. You can admire the unusual scenery of the Eixample district as well as the huge Olympic stadium, scene of the great athletic achievements in 1992.

We finish the tour on foot at the bustling Las Ramblas, the iconic street in the centre, which runs from the Plaza de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus monument near the harbour at Port Vell. Here you can explore the cafés and see the mime artists, and from here you will be ideally situated to explore independently the Barri Gotic, or Gothic Quarter in the centre of the Old Town, where some of buildings date back to medieval and Roman times.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today’s full-day included excursion takes you on an interesting tour into another part of Catalonia.

Our first stop is the charming town of Girona. Behind the colourful houses lining the River Onyar is the Old Town, with its imposing Gothic cathedral and maze of narrow streets. Have a stroll along the pedestrian Rambla de la Libertat lined with arcades, shops and pavement cafés.

We then make our way to the medieval town of Besalu. Step back in time as you explore this fascinating old centre, with its historic churches and buildings and interesting little shops.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today you have the opportunity to see some of the beautiful Spanish countryside on an optional Catalan country tour.

The climate of Catalonia is diverse. The populated areas lying by the coast in Tarragona, Barcelona and Girona feature a Mediterranean climate. Inland has a mostly Continental Mediterranean climate while further inland at the Pyrenean peaks, there is a mountain or even Alpine climate.

Today we head inland to the cool of the wooded hills. Accompanied by a local guide, you will discover the charms of the area. During our excursion a delicious typical Catalan lunch will be served before returning back to the coast. This is an unmissable, relaxing time, allowing you the opportunity to see more than just the sun, sand and sea of the Costas.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Join us today on our optional excursion to Montserrat known locally as the 'serrated mountain'.

We travel through the mountains to the north of Barcelona and the site of the famous Benedictine monastery. The Abbot of Ripoli and Bishop of Vic officially founded the Monastery of Montserrat in 1025. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a Romanesque church was built and it was over this period pilgrims were attracted to Montserrat. Since then, the reputation of Montserrat grew and in 1223 a boys’ choir was established. During the 1400s, the Monastery became an independent abbey and the word of Montserrat was further spread when monk Bernal Boil accompanied Christopher Columbus on a voyage to America. Montserrat in the Antilles was named after the Monastery and this began the spread of the worship of the Mother of God in the Americas.

Today Montserrat Monastery is home to around one hundred monks who follow the Order of St. Benedict. This can be distinguished from other orders by their philosophy “that there is an importance to everything that every person is”.

For many pilgrims it is an entirely spiritual experience, however, if you are not a religious person you will still find Montserrat Mountain and Monastery of great interest. The chapels, beautiful Basilica and often-turbulent history make it a fascinating place to visit. Surrounded by spectacular scenery, a camera is a must on this memorable day.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy a leisurely day in resort.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We head to the Auvergne in France, where we stay for two nights.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

The Auvergne is home to no less than eleven of the 150 villages ranked as ‘the most beautiful villages of France’.

On this superb included excursion we see four of these, all teeming with heritage, history and stunning architecture. This really is the true Auvergne, a land where time seems to have stood still. Medieval and Romanesque churches and buildings create a most memorable picture.

We visit Montpeyroux, a former wine-growing village, one of the real highlights of the Auvergne; Usson, with its magnificent views over the volcanic hills; St. Saturnin with its 13th century castle; and St. Floret, with its medieval buildings, situated in a narrow valley.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Leisurely journey to the Paris area for an overnight stay. Tonight, you can join our optional Latin Quarter visit to see this spectacular city at night.

• Included meals: Breakfast

Return home.

• Included meals: Breakfast